High speed semiconductor components, such as packages containing digital logic dice, are typically bumped during manufacture, and then flip chip mounted on a supporting substrate, such as a package substrate, a module substrate or a printed circuit board (PCB). With flip chip mounting, bumps, pins or other terminal contacts on the component, are bonded to mating contacts on the supporting substrate. One well known type of flip chip mounting is known as controlled collapse chip connection (C4).
Flip chip packaging methods are low cost and facilitate the volume manufacture of semiconductor components, particularly semiconductor packages. In addition, flip chip packaging methods provide improved electrical and thermal performance relative to traditional packaging methods that employ wire bonding.
As the semiconductor industry advances, manufacturers are developing different packaging methods that make the components smaller, and provide a more reliable and efficient protective and signal transmission system for the semiconductor dice contained in the components. One technique for expanding the capabilities of a component is to incorporate multiple dice into a single component, such as by stacking two or more dice. For example, systems in a package (SIPs), can include dice stacked on a substrate, each of which has a different configuration (e.g., memory vs. processing). The stacked dice provide increased integration, security and performance in a component, and decrease the outline (i.e., footprint) of the component.
One aspect of semiconductor components containing stacked dice is that they are typically not fabricated using flip chip packaging methods, and do not typically include terminal contacts that allow the components to be flip chip mounted to substrates. It would be desirable to use flip chip packaging methods to fabricate various types of components, such as packages and modules, which contain stacked dice. In addition, it would be desirable to fabricate various types of components with terminal contacts that allow flip chip mounting of the components.
The present invention is directed to components containing multiple stacked dice, which are fabricated using flip chip packaging methods and include flip chip features. The present invention is also directed to wafer level methods for fabricating the components, and to systems incorporating the components.